N South Africa's Diamond Jubilee Year of Celebration
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News and Notes from the General Service Office of A.A.®
www.aa.org
Vol. 67, No. 4 / Winter 2021
n South Africa’s Diamond Jubilee Year of Celebration
In 1946, a court translator named Solomon M. found U.S. 11 years earlier) led to the spread of Alcoholics
himself wandering the outskirts of Johannesburg, Anonymous in South Africa. The 75th anniversary of
despondent and hungover: his drinking had brought A.A. in that country kicked off on October 17 with a vir-
himself and his family to the brink of starvation. He tual meeting attended by a dozen countries celebrating
spied a copy of Reader’s Digest in a trash bin, picked it “75 Years of Hope.”
up, and began to read an article, originally published in “It was wonderful to start off on the 17th – the actual
Grapevine, entitled “My Return From the Half-world of birthday is the 18th,” says Irene F., acting chairperson of
Alcoholism.” the South African General Service Board. “It was a two-
The narrator of that story had found hope in A.A., and hour long virtual meeting with people from all over the
now Solomon did, too. He wrote to A.A. Headquarters world. We’re going to be celebrating throughout the next
(now the General Service Office) in New York and was year with events dedicated to the Jubilee,” which include
sent a pamphlet, simply entitled more online events, a Jubilee
“A.A.,” which contained excerpts Forum in August 2022, and the
from the Big Book. Although annual National Convention in
Solomon never started a meet- Capetown, in April 2022.
ing — and, in fact, would later Marita R., trustee at large/U.S.,
be a “Loner” — he became South attended the October 17 virtual
Africa’s first A.A. member. meeting as an observer. “It was
In October of the same year, filled with recounting how A.A.
another alcoholic, Arthur S. came to South Africa, which is
— a stockbroker — found the a story of experience, hope,
same article in the nursing home strength and wisdom, and was
where he was drying out after attended by members expressing
numerous unsuccessful attempts their delight at the birth of South
to stop drinking. He, too, wrote Africa’s light.”
Headquarters in New York, was “We face the challenges of
sent the “A.A.” pamphlet, and having a serious alcohol abuse
became intrigued enough to problem here,” says Irene. “We
start A.A.’s first South African have the highest incidence of
meeting, with more than a little fetal alcohol syndrome in the
help from a local minister, the world. About 170 people die
Reverend Peacock, and a Catholic every day of alcohol-related
nun, Sister Maxwell, who was in causes. But we’ve got wonderful
charge of the drying-out ward at members here, ready to help in
Johannesburg General Hospital. any way they possibly can. Our
Sister Maxwell and Reverend In the background: Durban, South Africa, site of the C.P.C. (Cooperation with the
Peacock were both nonalcohol- 25th A.A. World Service Meeting. Professional Community) and P.I.
ics but were an essential part of (Public Information) committees
the beginnings of early South African A.A. When Arthur work hard to reach out to social workers, who are the
showed up drunk to speak at the first meeting, Reverend ones who deal with alcohol in the communities. It is so
Peacock took over. And after Arthur died of pneumonia, important that, 75 years later, A.A. is alive and well in
Sister Maxwell stepped in and ran the meetings herself. South Africa.”
A desperate individual led by chance to A.A., a hope- Marita adds, “I am encouraged by the many ways
lessly alcoholic stockbroker, a kindly and determined A.A.s everywhere have learned how to continue to carry
Catholic sister — this set of individuals in random cir- our message and to do our Twelfth Step in new and dif-
cumstances (with echoes of the origins of A.A. in the ferent ways that keep us all connected with our roots.”
F-36_Box_4-5-9_Winter_2021.indd 1 12/8/21 1:23 PM
“The need was there all along,” she emphasizes. “The
French-speaking and Spanish-speaking communities
Box 4-5-9 is published quarterly by the General Service
Office of Alcoholics Anonymous, 475 Riverside Drive,
were asking for the general service structure to be more
New York, NY 10115, copyright © 2021 by Alcoholics accessible — because some of the delegates in the service
Anonymous World Services, Inc. structure either do not speak English at all, or only know
Mail address: P
.O. Box 459, Grand Central Station English as a second language — not having everything
New York, NY 10163 translated into their language creates a barrier that
G.S.O.’s A.A. Website: www.aa.org
prevents them from accessing true participation to the
general service structure of Alcoholics Anonymous, the
Subscriptions: Individual, $3.50 per year; group, $6.00 for
group conscience of A.A. as a whole.”
each unit of 10 per year. Check—made payable to A.A.W.S.,
Inc.—should accompany order. To have issues delivered Over and beyond the work necessary to translate the
directly to your inbox, register your email on the A.A. background material (a task managed by G.S.O. manag-
Digital Subscription Service on G.S.O.’s Website. ing editor Julia D.), Juliette’s daily workload is as varied
Note on anonymity: From time to time in this publication as the thousand-plus pieces of A.A. literature available.
full names and/or pictures of G.S.O. employees, Class A “Smaller items are not actually smaller,” Juliette says. “In
trustees and other nonalcoholics are used. The anonymity addition to the pamphlets, newsletters and books, we
of A.A. members is maintained, as they are identified also translate all service documents and correspondence
throughout by first name and last initial only. from A.A. staff members, which takes over 50 percent of
our work time.”
Juliette works with “about five English-to-French
n Translating in the translators, all located in Quebec, Canada. The target
Language of the Heart language is French-Canadian since this is the commu-
nity the U.S./Canada G.S.O. serves. Some translators
For many years, the General Service Office has pro- work on longer projects, such as full-length book trans-
vided equivalent services throughout the U.S./Canada lations or the recently revised and reformatted A.A.
Conference area in French and Spanish to ensure that Service Manual, and some work more on shorter, more
A.A.s reaching out for information and assistance in time-sensitive pieces such as emails, announcements and
these languages receive the same level of help given to assignment updates.”
English-speaking members. Similarly, Hernán supervises the work of five or six
Providing such services presents a host of opportuni- translators, “all language professionals,” he adds, “with
ties to reach alcoholics in their native tongues with the a very good command of both languages.”
lifesaving information A.A. has to offer, but it also comes Among his many expanding duties, Hernán men-
with some ongoing challenges. tions revising pamphlets for reprint, correcting errors or
As the commitment to providing equivalent services changing style choices made in the past. “A quick read,”
has grown — in large measure as the result of a 2017 says Hernán, “becomes a substantial revision.”
General Service Conference Advisory Action requesting Hernán speaks of the challenges of revising previous
that G.S.O. strive to provide all Conference background translations. One major example is how “the accepted
materials in a timely manner in French and Spanish so version of the word ‘sponsor’ in Spanish — el padrino —
that, in the spirit of unity and inclusiveness, all mem- is a male construction meaning ‘godfather.’ So, the pam-
bers will have meaningful access — G.S.O has continued phlet on sponsorship now has the female la madrina
adapting its services to meet the expressed need for these interspersed as well,” offering more gender balance and
materials. a linguistic reflection of A.A.’s inclusiveness.
These critical translation services are currently cen- In tandem with revisions, Hernán also speaks of his
tralized in G.S.O.’s Publications department, under the excitement working on “standardizing language and
guidance of Ames S., G.S.O.’s executive editor, and are creating a style guide, creating a glossary to describe
overseen by two A.A. members who are professional what’s really going on.” Language, Hernán insists, is part
translators — Spanish editor/translations consultant of the solution. “A translation has to be accurate and
Hernán M., who has been connected to G.S.O. for over to read well. One thing I try to do when I translate is to
twenty years, and French editor Juliette L. clean up the literal translation. This leads to the question
Juliette began working at G.S.O. in 2018, the year of how to make service material more inclusive without
after the Advisory Action regarding translation of all being clunky.”
Conference background material. She points out that the Languages are living realities, adapting to changing
task meets the need of our expanding Fellowship. “By environments and local customs in the various parts of
making the General Service Conference a three-language the world where they are spoken. Languages change:
operation,” she says, “we are making the general service words fall out of favor and are replaced by new ones.
structure and our publications accessible to the majority Old words take on new meanings and the style of writ-
of the A.A. members of the U.S. and Canada.” ing transforms with time.
2 Box 4-5-9, Winter 2021
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Hernán also points to the last year and a half, when
so much of the Fellowship moved online. “With the
World Service Meeting and many other events also being
held online, 2020 quickly became one of the busiest years
on record.”
Juliette acknowledges that her already impressive
workload has “doubled during the pandemic.”
Nonetheless, the professional translator and the A.A.
member come together in the midst of the work, finding
expression in the language of the heart. “I particularly
love translating the stories from our members that get
published in the pamphlets,” Juliette says. “I always cry
when I read these stories of recovery for the first time,
and as a fellow A.A. member, I feel so grateful to get to
work on these translations, and I want to make sure that
French-speakers can get the same access to these won-
derful stories.”
The commitment the Fellowship has shown in the
“Translation is not a science,” Hernán asserts. “It’s U.S. and Canada to providing A.A. literature and ser-
basically a description of an experience.” vices in English, Spanish and French reverberates with
Similarly, Juliette says, “My team of translators and I A.A.’s primary purpose and echoes the words of A.A.’s
have been slowly revising many older French translations Responsibility Declaration, “When anyone, anywhere
that had a lot of errors. This included many pamphlets reaches out for help, I want the hand of A.A. always to
and some of our main publications, as well as service be there. And for that: I am responsible.”
documents, sample letters and other service-related
pieces.”
She relates that when she first joined G.S.O., “the first n Anonymity Letter to the Media:
thing I heard about from our French-speaking commu-
nity was how in 2002 the Steps were retranslated and “A Gift Each Member
some wording was changed. Because so many newcom-
ers got sober with those ‘new’ Steps (they are the same
Makes to the Fellowship”
Steps, the wording is just slightly different), it would be Each year since the practice began in 1949, the trust-
tricky to change them back to the old translation.” ees’ Public Information Committee has sent its annual
“A.A. has its own lingo and insider language, and Anonymity Letter to the Media.
that is a critical part of the translation, too,” says Ames. The simple letter both thanks our friends in the media
So, along with the sheer volume is the curious complex- — journalists, radio, television and online editors and
ity the translators face. “It’s almost a double transla- producers — for the support they have always afforded
tion. Not only does the work have to meet the linguistic Alcoholics Anonymous with respect to protecting the
parameters of the appropriate language, it also has to anonymity of A.A. members at the public level and asks
adhere to the many A.A. subtleties throughout our com- for their continued cooperation. The letter goes on to
munications.” request that if A.A. members are identified in the media
In terms of the growing volume of materials needing that only their first name and last initial be used, and no
translation throughout G.S.O., Julia D., G.S.O.’s manag- images be used in which a member’s face may be recog-
ing editor, says that new material doesn’t so much cross nized.
her desk every day as it does “every fifteen minutes!” This helps to provide A.A members with the security
Among those quarter-hour flurries, Julia states, “It that anonymity can bring. The letter further explains,
isn’t only printed material — books and pamphlets “The principle of anonymity is at the core of our
— but management updates, committee sharing, bud- Fellowship. Those who are reluctant to seek our help
get summaries and financial reports. Currently, we’re often overcome their fear if they are confident that their
translating all the material for the upcoming revisions anonymity will be respected. In addition, and perhaps
of the website, along with user guides for Fellowship less understood, our tradition of anonymity acts as a
Connection, and scripts for PSAs and audio recordings.” healthy guardrail for A.A. members, reminding us that
Especially given global events of the past 18 months, we are a program of principles, not personalities, and
Julia points out that “the amount of printing we’re now that no individual A.A. member acts as a spokesperson
doing is back up, and with that, lots of book and pam- of our Fellowship.”
phlet reprints are surging, thanks to the semi-hiatus we “We’re trying to focus on the message that we’re
took from printing at the height of the pandemic.” sending about Alcoholics Anonymous to clarify any
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F-36_Box_4-5-9_Winter_2021.indd 3 12/8/21 1:23 PM
misconceptions that we find and to remind all about each member makes to the Fellowship. It is humility in
our spiritual principles and why they are important,” action, a voluntary decision made by A.A. members to
says Patrick C., General Service Office staff coordinator set aside personal recognition so that the A.A. principles
on the Public Information desk. “So that no one per- and program can have center stage instead.”
son is speaking for A.A. or there’s not one person who
is intentionally causing harm — although normally
anonymity breaks happen out of innocence or lack of
understanding.” n A.A. Guidelines:
This January, thousands of Anonymity Letters will be
distributed to a media list covering the U.S. and Canada
Experience As It Happens
(including Spanish media in the U.S. and French media Developed individually over the years in response to the
in Quebec). The letter is also posted on G.S.O.’s website expressed needs of A.A. members for specific informa-
at https://aa.org/pages/en_US/pressmedia. tion on specific topics, G.S.O.’s A.A. Guidelines contain
Despite the saturation coverage of the Anonymity shared experience on 17 different areas of concern to
Letter, and the vigilance of A.A. groups and individual members, groups, and service committees throughout
members everywhere, anonymity breaks do happen — a the Fellowship. Covering such issues as central and
number of them at the hands of well-meaning members intergroup offices, the relationship between A.A. and
eager to help other alcoholics like themselves. What is Al-Anon, the Internet, and accessibility for all alcohol-
done about such breaks and the dozens of others that ics, the Guidelines reflect current A.A. practices and
occur yearly? As mail received by the General Service consolidate A.A. experience as it happens. The histor-
Office reveals, members have expressed continuing con- ical development of the A.A. Guidelines is shrouded in
cern about such violations of the Eleventh Tradition mystery, and a search through G.S.O.’s A.A. Archives
(“Our public relations policy is based on attraction rath- turns up little to clarify their exact beginning. In the
er than promotion; we need always maintain personal early 1960s, however, according to Beth K., a G.S.O. staff
anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films”), which member during those years, what appears to be the first
the Fellowship’s co-founder Bill W. called “the key to of A.A.’s Guidelines was prepared as a result of ongoing
A.A.’s spiritual survival.” Conference concern over the relationship between A.A.
When a specific anonymity break occurs, A.A. mem- and clubs. Other Guidelines, such as those on confer-
bers frequently ask G.S.O. to send a letter to the publi- ences and conventions, court issues, and institutions,
cation or broadcast station involved. But it has long been came about because G.S.O. would receive a flood of mail
the consensus of A.A.’s General Service Conference that over an extended period of time containing questions
responsibility for protecting the Tradition of Anonymity about what to do regarding a particular topic. Reaching
at the public level, and for responding to anonymity out to delegates and other appropriate and relevant
breaks in the media, rests with the individuals, groups sources for additional sharing, the staff would then
and service committees within the Fellowship. So, when gather as broad a range of experience as possible on
there is an anonymity break at the public level, the each given topic and prepare a set of Guidelines. Unlike
Public Information desk at G.S.O. writes to the appro- A.A. Conference-approved literature, which express-
priate area delegate, passing along the basic facts and es A.A.’s collective group conscience, the bright yellow
suggesting that the delegate or another trusted servant A.A. Guidelines (two to six pages) are a distillation of
make contact with the member. specific trial-and-error experience that has been shared
As it turns out, Patrick is a past delegate — Panel 63, with G.S.O. on a number of specialized topics that come
Southwest Texas, Area 67. “So I was on the receiving end up frequently in correspondence but are not necessar-
of a P.I. coordinator’s letter, the kind of standard email ily relevant to all groups or members throughout the
from the General Service Office, which says, ‘Hey we Fellowship. For that reason, the 1980 General Service
have an anonymity break in your area. Here’s an exam- Conference approved a recommendation that the A.A.
ple of a letter that you can use to write to the individual Guidelines could be produced or revised at the discre-
who appeared in the article.’ Because that’s who we are tion of the G.S.O. staff without Conference approval
reaching out to — not the journalist. The responsibili- when new information or other contingencies arose.
ty for our Traditions lies with the A.A. member and so The Guidelines bring together the shared experience of
we’re just providing a friendly reminder — ‘Did you know A.A. members and groups throughout the U.S./Canada
that when we are involved in a media story, one of the service structure, and, over the years, as concerns with
things we avoid is putting our full name or our full pic- a given topic have abated, the corresponding Guidelines
ture and our statement saying we are members of A.A.?’” have been dropped; similarly, as particular topics of con-
Terry Bedient, nonalcoholic former chair of the cern come to the fore, new ones have been added. A.A.
General Service Board, has put it very well. He sees ano- Guidelines, which are listed in the A.A.W.S. literature
nymity not as an act of self-restraint, but as an active catalog, are available singly or in complete sets. They
demonstration of love and service. “Anonymity is a gift may also be accessed on G.S.O.’s A.A. website (aa.org).
4 Box 4-5-9, Winter 2021
F-36_Box_4-5-9_Winter_2021.indd 4 12/8/21 1:23 PM
that first day. “It’s a game-changer,” remarks Lorna.
n The Power of Connection: The matching software speeds up the communication
Updating the Corrections process significantly. “At a glance we could see what
region had more Spanish-speaking members on the out-
Correspondence Service side,” explains Sandra. “We could get snapshots like this
Since its inception in 1962, G.S.O.’s Corrections — and this allowed us to improve our services for the
Correspondence Service (CCS) has been considered “a people who are boots on the ground.”
special kind of A.A. service” within the greater service Similar to many other major projects executed during
structure of our Fellowship. As its name would suggest, the past two years, this updating was completed while
this service involves matching A.A. members in custody team members were working remotely from home. In
with A.A. members on the outside throughout the U.S. addition, the isolation created by the pandemic high-
and Canada, so that the two members can share their lighted the acute need for this improved system. “We
respective experience, strength and hope with one anoth- are in a pandemic, at a time when many facilities have
er through written correspondence. “The connection suspended the process of outsiders bringing meetings
of hearts and hands from the outside to the inside is so into prison,” says Sandra. “This makes the Corrections
crucial,” says Sandra W., director of staff services at the Correspondence Service even more critical. It is very
General Service Office. “It provides that spiritual connec- rewarding. We receive letters that come with that pure,
tion from one member to another.” simple gratitude for being connected with another A.A.
Until recently, the database that helped to facilitate member or receiving a Big Book or a Grapevine. We
the service and the matching of correspondents
took a significant amount of time — sometimes
months — to initiate that vital spiritual con- “The connection of hearts and
nection, with forms and letters being mailed hands from the outside to the inside
via snail mail. Not surprisingly, explains Brenda
B., who worked as the Corrections coordina- is so crucial…” — Sandra W.
tor during much of this updating project, “We
found our old system to be a little trying as we
were attempting to move forward into the 21st century.” might take it for granted, but it helps that individual to
With the implementation of the office-wide NetSuite stay sober one more day. CCS is the conduit for that.”
system in 2019 for other G.S.O. functions, it became In step with a common suggestion throughout the
apparent that this new technology could provide a solu- Fellowship with respect to sponsorship, the CCS matches
tion for matching A.A. members — inside and outside — men with men and women with women. During phase two
in a more expedient manner. “The genesis of the project of this updating, other gender identities will be addressed:
came from the Technology Services department because For example, it will be easier to match a nonbinary person
it became clear that the former database needed an with another nonbinary individual. In addition, other fea-
overhaul,” adds Sandra. tures — such as enhanced reporting and a potential expan-
So, Technology Services and Corrections joined forces. sion of the current system — will be added during phase
“We established a team and hired some professionals to two. Despite still being in phase one, the Corrections desk
develop a state-of-the-art application that could match, has been able to manually match a few transgender individ-
correspond, and generate letters,” says Brenda. Lorna uals with transgender members on the outside. “I put out a
Graham (nonalcoholic), director of Technology Services, plea for this kind of match,” explains Brenda, “and at least
further explains that this collaboration was managed sim- ten individuals responded right away. This is just another
ilarly to a traditional software project. “We went through gift of this beautiful program we have.”
requirements and then into design,” Lorna says. “There For many of the staffers and vendors who worked on
was a lot of involvement from Brenda and her staff assis- this project, it was a very rewarding experience. “This was
tant, Ana Isabel Mejia-Andrade (nonalcoholic), helping us one of my favorite projects because I have a passion for the
to figure out how it should work — participating in user Corrections world and being able to help the individuals
acceptance testing for ways to improve how the applica- there. Before this, people in custody waited for months for
tion functioned.” Not surprisingly, this effort was collabo- a match,” adds Lorna. “Now this new system allows us to
rative in every sense of the word. “We were tossing things increase the number of people we can support because we
over the wall,” explains Lorna, “and both Technology and now have the ability to be proactive. It’s amazing.”
Corrections were working very hard side by side.” From the For more information about the Corrections
technology team, Dmitriy Kerget and Militza Alma-Noyola Correspondence Service and how you can be a
(both nonalcoholics) worked on the data conversion and part of it, contact the Corrections desk at G.S.O.
participated in a significant amount of testing as well. (email corrections@aa.org; call 212-870-3400; or write
On September 28, 2021, the new system and database to General Service Office, PO Box 459, Grand Central
were launched — and 267 individuals were matched on Station, New York, NY 10163).
Box 4-5-9, Winter 2021 5
F-36_Box_4-5-9_Winter_2021.indd 5 12/8/21 1:23 PMthrough workshop discussions and the exchange of ideas
n ICOAA Seminar: and shared experience, for those who labor on A.A.’s
“I’m supporting them; front lines. But the need to reconcile the problems com-
mon to most central office/intergroups with the services
are they supporting me?” provided to the Fellowship by A.A.W.S., Grapevine and
Sue C. is manager of the Rhode Island Central Service the General Service Board — especially since, struc-
Office, which hosted the 36th annual Intergroup/ turally, the appearance of the first intergroups/central
Central Office/A.A.W.S./AAGV Seminar, held September offices (IGCOs) in the 1940s predates the creation of the
29-October 2. “We put in a bid in 2019 to host the General Service Conference and the A.A. service struc-
meeting,” Sue says, “and our intention was to do it in ture — creates tension, tension that came to the surface
person.” It was, after all, to be the first ICOAA seminar during the seminar weekend.
ever held in New England. “We were going to have peo- “The IGCOs would like to be more involved in the
ple come in on Thursday, see Providence, visit the local Conference process; they would like better commu-
office, maybe take a trip to Brown University,” which nication with the delegates; and they would like to be
hosts a collection of Dr. Bob’s papers, consisting of 5,000 included or consulted when matters involving them or
items including two hundred books, dozens of pieces affecting them comes up, such as the Service Manual,
of memorabilia and several hundred manuscripts and beta testing, new literature,” says Craig W. “There is a
photographs. Unfortunately, uncertainty surrounding perception that we would rather talk to the delegates
the Delta variant forced the seminar steering committee then the IGCOs on a lot of issues. The General Service
to choose a virtual seminar, making it the second one Conference process asks us to communicate with the
ever held virtually (the first was hosted by Des Moines, area delegate and the hope is that the area delegate will
Iowa, last year). Planning was time-consuming, but carry that information locally. But we do see the neces-
Sue had the help of Mary H. — “my right hand person”; sity to communicate more on the matters directly con-
Cheri J., of Kansas, Missouri, who did invaluable tech cerning the IGCOs.”
work; and Matthew C., central office manager from The value of intergroup/central offices cannot be
Ventura, California, who helped set up and troubleshoot overstated, Craig says. “They are A.A., and they are on
the ICOAA seminar website. the front lines when someone needs help, buys a book
Attending were 118 registrants (17 from A.A.W.S. or stops by for a pamphlet; they provide a conversa-
and Grapevine) representing 67 different central offic- tion about A.A. and recovery, and about what’s going
es, including six offices from Canada and one office in on locally.”
Auckland, New Zealand. In order to accommodate time During the weekend gathering, some longstanding
zones and deal with online fatigue, the seminar was tensions boiled over, with intense criticism directed at
held from Wednesday until Saturday; lessons learned G.S.O. staffers by a few of the IGCO attendees during
from the Des Moines virtual seminar were applied Q&A sessions and at other moments during the semi-
(break-out rooms instead of separate teleconference nar. “Some of the behavior toward staffers was hurtful,”
links for each meeting, as well as one big room where Craig says, as often the criticism was leveled at matters
everyone could “sit and talk,” as Sue says). The work- beyond their scope. “To have so many staffers there to
shops — all run by central office workers — focused put up with that behavior is really not productive.”
on the Seventh Tradition in a largely cashless society; Jimmy D., A.A.W.S. chair, agrees that the situation
learning the all-important technical tools for today’s vir- was difficult. “I have significant Dallas intergroup expe-
tual A.A. world; planning annual budgets and prudent rience. I served two terms on that board, 20 years apart,
reserves; how best to keep groups informed, via news- and I chaired that board. I come from a place where
letters, email and other types of outreach; and a good I respect a certain level of frustration. Like everyone in
deal more. A.A., those managers want to make sure that their voice
The A.A.W.S./G.S.O. contingent gave a presentation is heard. But the tone and tenor of the discussion were
followed by a Q&A Thursday night, with speakers that not good. There was at times a snide, vitriolic type of
included General Manager Bob W.; Jimmy D. and Deb environment.”
K. of the A.A.W.S. board; David R., Publishing Director; Like Craig, Jimmy understands the feeling among
Malini Singh (nonalcoholic), Director of Operations; many intergroup/central office managers that there is a
Margaret Matos (nonalcoholic), manager of the new lack of communication or concern for the central offices
Member Services department; and Craig W., G.S.O. on the part of G.S.O. “But there are certain parameters
staff on the Group Services assignment. Friday night that, from a viability perspective, we can’t entertain at
it was Grapevine’s turn, with speakers Chris C., AA this point,” he says. “We eat hundreds of thousands of
Grapevine publisher; Jon W., AA Grapevine senior editor; dollars for shipping each year to intergroups and cen-
and Karina C., La Viña editor. tral offices, and we’re happy to do that. We give the best
From the very first ICOAA seminar in 1986, the stated pricing discounts that we can — quantity discounts —
purpose of the seminars has been to provide a forum, that most intergroups/central offices are able to make
6 Box 4-5-9, Winter 2021
F-36_Box_4-5-9_Winter_2021.indd 6 12/8/21 1:23 PMwork. There are small intergroup and central offices that ing out of your positions.’ (Staff rotation is a recurrent
would like better pricing. They asked for the mixed-item complaint of IGCO managers.) And so I said, ‘Maybe you
discount last year and the board approved it, but we put should stop wearing us out.’ That got a laugh. The point
that on hold so that we could do the shipping discount. is, we want to continue to work together, to grow, to
And so on. heal — and we all have to look at how we are communi-
“In my opinion, frankly, dependence on literature cating our expectations.”
sales is not healthy for G.S.O. and not healthy for local Colleen M. has been the Greater Vancouver central
service offices, either. But that aside, we can all align office manager for the last three years. The Covid-19
ourselves with the mission of A.A. What seems to be pandemic struck a devastating blow to her office, as it
most helpful is when we move the material concerns did to so many intergroup/central offices, which depend
out of the way and understand that we both have the on physical human interaction to help suffering alcohol-
same objective. We fulfill different roles in that objec- ics and on selling the literature to help keep the offices
tive. G.S.O. is not equipped to hand off the Big Book and afloat. “We shut down completely on March 13, 2020.
spend 15 minutes talking to the new guy about A.A. But People weren’t allowed to come and hang out. Literature
intergroup and central offices are.” sales dropped drastically. Our heart is our phone volun-
Jimmy, Craig, Bob W. and others stayed online after teers, our volunteers who stuff envelopes, and the people
the presentations and workshops were done to discuss who stop by for coffee.”
these issues with intergroup/central office managers — Colleen has been to the ICOAA seminar every year
the “meeting after the meeting,” as Craig says. “It was since 2018. “It saved my life when I first started this
as late as midnight on the East Coast and six p.m. in job. It was total identification. You get in that tribe of
Hawaii. We were able to connect and hear each other. people who understand what it is like to be a central
The question came up, ‘How come we never have one office worker. We are very blessed, but it is a very unique
person we can talk to regularly? You’re all always rotat- position. The seminar is one of the few times, aside from
n OIAA — Coming into its own
With all the tumult of the ICOAA seminar, not everyone noticed that there was a new, first-time attendee: Online Intergroup of
Alcoholics Anonymous (OIAA). Arising from a group that called itself “Living Cyber” in the mid-1990s, OIAA provided a centralized
location where groups could come online and people could find them. Now with over 4,000 meetings, OIAA is essentially a world-
wide online intergroup/central office, with the crucial distinction that it does not sell literature, has no brick-and-mortar presence
and has an all-volunteer staff.
Gwen M., chair of the OIAA, and Barry M., secretary, attended the seminar. Gwen says that OIAA had not been aware of the
ICOAA seminar “until it came up in conversation with Craig W. of the Group Services desk. We’ve had a really collaborative rela-
tionship with G.S.O. because of our explosive growth — among other things, G.S.O. wanted to get a feel for ways in which online
groups might be plugged into the service structure — and we have a monthly touch-base. So, Craig brought up our attending
ICOAA and we thought, ‘Wow, we should be a part of this.’ It’s sort of like the next chapter for us. We were such an anomaly and
now we’re finding our legs and truly going mainstream.”
The rapid expansion of OIAA is in large part due to the A.A. world turning to virtual communication and meetings during the
Covid-19 crisis. In September, the OIAA site (https://aa-intergroup.org) saw 20,000 hits per day, with over 640,000 views for the
month. Their “How we can help” page averages 3,900 views a day and had 1.2 million hits in 2021 by the end of September. Their
Twelfth Step committee (the “Steppers Committee”) responds directly in 16 languages via email to those suffering alcoholics
needing help. A feature allows A.A.’s and those seeking A.A. to find the “next available” meeting, listing the platform upon which it
takes place (Zoom, Skype, phone, email, chat room, etc.). There are numerous options for meetings, which indicate the broad base
of members served by OIAA — meetings for blind/visually impaired, Deaf/Hard of Hearing and LGBTQ, to name only a few of the
myriad choices available.
How did Gwen feel to be finally connected with the IGCOs at the seminar? “I loved it,” she says. “I left with so much respect for
my local intergroup as well as appreciation for intergroups everywhere.” She was aware of some of the tensions due to the differ-
ing perspectives of G.S.O. and intergroup/central offices but feels that sometimes expressing these tensions is necessary “to move
us forward — they can be opportunities to grow” and that they echo similar tensions within OIAA itself. And she and Barry found
that the topics covered at the workshops provided invaluable advice on everything from vetting new meetings to tax and insur-
ance issues, which Barry has been examining for OIAA.
Ultimately, Barry says, “We want to deepen and broaden our relationship with intergroup/central offices — and not only here
in the U.S. We truly want to have OIAA committed to interface with the intergroups/central offices around the world.”
Box 4-5-9, Winter 2021 7
F-36_Box_4-5-9_Winter_2021.indd 7 12/8/21 1:23 PMtion is: I’m supporting them; are they
supporting me?”
Then there are the quality issues.
“I have people bringing me back
a copy of Daily Reflections that you
open it up and it’s all blank pages.
I have members bringing me back
Big Books where Chapter Five and
‘A Vision for You’ are upside-down.
Why are we having these quality issues
all of a sudden? Why are we only find-
ing out at the seminar that you have
changed printers? Why aren’t we being
told this? Two days ago, I received 500
wallet cards with the new Preamble
— but they’re the old Preamble. So I
just wasted a bunch of money that my
Fellowship is not going to be happy
The first meeting schedule printed by the New York Inter-Group Association of about.
Alcoholics Anonymous, now known as New York Inter-Group (NYIG). “So it’s little things like that that
we are asking for information about.
when you’re talking to A.A.W.S. staff, that you get to talk
If you can send it out to a delegate, why can’t you send
to other people who understand Tradition Eight in the
it out to us? Why do I have to rely on a delegate? They
same way that we do.”
may be in the Conference service structure, but we are
Colleen, who sits on the ICOAA communications
the boots-on-the-ground service structure. We want to
committee, says that understanding the differing G.S.O./
know about these things so we can also help A.A.W.S.
A.A.W.S./ICOAA perspectives begins with understanding
sales by encouraging people to buy and letting them
the fact that “there are two different service entities
know ahead of time if there are problems. Why can’t we
within A.A. — intergroup/central offices and A.A.W.S./
have the new book before Amazon has them if we are all
Grapevine — and we were here first!” she says, laugh-
part of the same family?”
ing. “Do I think we work in harmony all the time? No,
obviously not. We’re one great big dysfunctional family, In the first two weeks after the Greater Vancouver
but we come from different perspectives. It’s a systemic office shut down in March 2020, Colleen says, “We got
problem in Alcoholics Anonymous, but I believe even so 3,000 phone calls at a time when we normally might get
that the central offices feel more respected than we ever 1,600. ‘My home group is closed. What do I do? What’s
have. I think that we feel heard.” going on with A.A.? Can you tell me?’ Yet we weren’t
Colleen agrees that the frustration of the IGCO getting the letters that were being sent out to delegates.
managers at the seminar went beyond what was Nobody’s talking to intergroups. We had each other.
appropriate. “We weren’t nice to paid [G.S.O./ Trish L. [trustee at large/Canada and Colleen’s sponsor]
A.A.W.S.] staff,” she says. “We owe them an amends.” was able to help us out by connecting us with a bunch
But issues obviously remain, and Colleen says, “I’m of districts and D.C.M.s and with Victoria intergroup.
scared of what’s going to happen to intergroup/cen- We’d meet every second week to exchange information.
tral offices. Like many of my colleagues, I am fearful.” Beyond a shadow of a doubt, in these new times, we
Literature sales remain a large and to some extent have been the support, the voice and the heart of the
unresolved issue. “I can’t get the new Grapevine book Fellowship.”
Prayer and Meditation here in Vancouver. I ordered Not long after the seminar, Craig W. attended the
it the day it came out and it is still back ordered from intergroup/central offices quarterly meeting with the
Grapevine. But I can go and order it on Amazon and IGCO communications committee. There, away from the
have it delivered next day. I don’t think anyone [at supercharged atmosphere of the seminar, perspectives
Grapevine] is doing this on purpose, but it is really dis- were aired and both groups had what Craig calls “a very
heartening when my members can go to Amazon and good and unifying meeting. I think the point here is we
get a book, but they can’t from their central office. I have people who are willing to connect and heal. There
would never order from Amazon because that would is still obviously resentment we had to work through on
go against the group conscience of Greater Vancouver almost every topic, but I think it was a chance for us to
intergroups. But understand that all through Covid I’ve build trust and have honest conversations about difficul-
maintained my office subscriptions to Grapevine, and ties and frustrations, as well as to set boundaries moving
they are just sitting there in the cupboard. So the ques- forward.”
8 Box 4-5-9, Winter 2021
F-36_Box_4-5-9_Winter_2021.indd 8 12/8/21 1:23 PMn The Power of Sharing
Dear A.A. Friends, Let’s open our meeting with the A.A. Preamble...
So begins the latest issue of the Loners-Internationalists November, however, because it is a great time for reflec-
Meeting (LIM) — an A.A. meeting in print for Loners, tion and, yes, gratitude. On the East Coast of the United
Internationalists and other A.A.s who cannot attend reg- States, hurricane season starts on June 1 and ends around
ular A.A. meetings. November 30. I like to share that ‘A.A. hurricane sea-
Not everyone in A.A. has access to the abundance of son’ follows that pattern fairly closely, as warm summer
meetings that take place every day, every hour, literally weather and the autumn holidays can tempt an alcoholic
around the globe. Many members are separated by dis- to pick up a drink. I think about the words in the Big
tance or circumstance from other A.A.s; many may not Book: ‘It won’t burn me this time, so here’s how!’ and
have access to a computer or the ability to connect to the recall all the picnics, Thanksgivings and Christmases that
Internet. One function of the General Service Office is to I had that very same thought. How could I have been so
close these gaps between members by providing shared wrong? It’s important for me to practice gratitude for my
experience from Loners around the world. For some sobriety today by being on the lookout for potential hur-
A.A.s this may be their main link with the Fellowship. ricane victims and reaching out my hand. By stepping up
To this end, LIM contains excerpts of the many let- my meetings and sharing about my gratitude for the new
ters sent to G.S.O. from A.A.s around the world. Most of life that has been freely given to me, I am taking out a lit-
the letters reveal the writer’s gratitude for their sobriety tle disaster insurance and maybe passing on a little bit of
and speak volumes for the power of A.A.’s language of hope to the alcoholic who still suffers. I am so grateful for
the heart. A sampling follows here from the November/ A.A., so grateful for all the LIM members, and especially
December 2021 issue: grateful to have a Higher Power who shows me how to
John G., a Loner from Ribeira de Pena, Portugal, survive life on life’s terms today.”
shares, “Dear A.A. friends, just checking in after months Daniel H., from Yap, Micronesia, shares, “It’s hap-
of not writing. I am still sober and sane after more pened. Despite feeling in the doldrums, I cleaned up my
than 40 years of staying away from drinking. Our little living area and have made some changes in my rou-
country has been badly affected by the Covid virus, so tines. Let me share that this fills me with gratitude. As
meetings are closed. My nearest is 80 miles away, so I am an alcoholic whose modus operandi is to create crisis,
totally dependent on LIM and my monthly phone calls it is a welcome respite to recognize that there are some
to my sponsor in the United Kingdom and our letters. I healthy features to my personality these days. I live on a
am so grateful for the lessons I learned in my early years tiny island in Micronesia and am blessed with work that
in A.A. I struggled to keep coming back in those years; I enjoy and a beautiful environment. But alcohol abuse
it would have been impossible without the support I here is common, and maintaining anonymity is complex.
received in the rooms. Today I am joyous and free and There are only 8,000 people living here, and I have been
have for many years taken the advice to keep coming very careful to carry the message in a way that leads by
back. It works if you work it.” example, and I talk about the benefits of sobriety. It is
“My name is Irene R. I was a Loner in the Alaskan complicated. I have a friend here who wants to be sober.
Bush for 13 years and greatly appreciated receiving the I will suggest to him that we can have meetings. But
LIM before, during and after those years. Although, anonymity won’t be easy. Everyone here knows everyone
during those 13 years, through unscheduled and incon- else, and news travels quickly by word of mouth. It is a
sistent mail service, the LIM was quite frequently stolen. good situation, however, to practice the principles of the
The message of recovery is sometimes carried in rather Fellowship and to offer the safety that being a member
unexpected ways. All the A.A. members who were living of a group can mean. And the bottom line is that my
when I got sober are now long deceased. In many ways, own sobriety benefits when I carry the message. It’s not
I miss them, but I do not feel great sadness. I feel tre- difficult. Years ago, when cell phones were not ubiqui-
mendous joy and gratitude, as I know the message they tous, finding an electronic copy of the Preamble and a
carried is being carried on by my generation, as well as Big Book with which to lead meetings wouldn’t have been
subsequent generations. They have not died and been easy. But now, the typical readings for a meeting are not
forgotten, because the message of recovery, which they difficult to pull up on a screen. It is now even easier to
shared, continues to live on through those of us who start a meeting. Life is good! And here I am, trudging the
learned from them and who continue to ‘pass it on.’” Road of Happy Destiny in a tropical paradise. It really is
Alicia S., from Middletown, Pennsylvania, writes, far beyond my wildest dreams. All because I joined a club
“November is gratitude month in A.A. I do my best to whose membership fee is so very dear. We’ve paid a lot to
remain grateful every single day that I no longer must get get here. A.A. is a way of living.”
‘loaded’ to survive life on life’s terms. My daily reprieve “I’m Greg H., an alcoholic from Park Forest, Illinois.
is indeed a treasured gift. I especially love the month of I was ruminating on the fact that the things I got off
Box 4-5-9, Winter 2021 9
F-36_Box_4-5-9_Winter_2021.indd 9 12/8/21 1:23 PMthe ‘hint sheet’ I received 34 years ago when I reported charged and handy.’) There were, and are, many others:
onboard LIM are still solid hints in staying sober today. short, sweet and very practical. The ‘heebie jeebies’ can
They still work. Simple things: 1. Keep a piece of A.A. hit at any time, and if we can take sober action, they
literature with you for use when stinking thinking comes. usually vanish after five or six minutes. Writing to anoth-
2. Keep ‘phone call money’ handy when away from er alcoholic daily kept me sober when I was new to the
home. (Now I suppose it would be ‘Keep your cell phone program in the Far East as a Loner. One Day at a Time.”
n “About Those A.A. Group Problems”
fairness and trust in a ‘Power greater than ourselves’ —
have been found far more effective than legalistic argu-
ments or personal accusations.”
Informed Group Conscience vs. Business Meeting
If “almost every group problem can be solved through
the process of an informed group conscience,” what
exactly is that process, and how does it differ from a
business meeting? Perhaps not surprisingly, the same
section “Principles Before Personalities” in “The A.A.
Group” includes subsections “What Is an Informed A.A.
Group Conscience?” (pages 28-29) and “A.A. Business
Meetings” (page 30), separated by another subsection on
suggested questions for an A.A. group inventory.
Experience shared in the pamphlet as well as that
received by the General Service Office through corre-
spondence suggests that group practices vary widely.
Just past the middle of “The A.A. Group” pam- Some groups consider a business meeting and a group
phlet, at the end of a section titled “Principles Before conscience meeting to be the same thing. Other groups
Personalities,” the A.A. member or group can find a few hold business meetings for everyday group matters
short paragraphs subtitled “About Those A.A. Group such as rotation of trusted servants; budgets for group
Problems.” That section, on pages 30 and 31, begins with expenses including rent, literature and coffee supplies;
what more than one A.A. member has found — at first and allocation of group funds to help other A.A. entities
glance — to be a somewhat strange statement: “Group (intergroup, G.S.O.) carry the message. These everyday
problems are often evidence of a healthy, desirable matters may be decided through a simple majority vote.
diversity of opinion among the group members.” For matters facing the group that may not easily be
Group problems can be healthy and desirable? How determined by a simple majority vote, a group con-
can that be? That section goes on to share, “They give us science meeting may be preferred over a business meet-
a chance, in the words of Step Twelve, to ‘practice these ing. Examples of such issues include whether the group
principles in all our affairs.’ ” goes from an open to a closed meeting; changing the
We also read, “Group problems may include such way that the group ends its meetings; or taking a sched-
common A.A. questions as: What should the group do uled group inventory.
about members who return to drinking? How can we Correspondence with G.S.O. About Group Problems
boost lagging attendance at meetings? How can we get
Once in a while, an A.A. group reaches out to the
more people to help with group chores? What can we
General Service Office staff for some shared experience
do about one member’s anonymity break, or another’s
in order to resolve a group problem. Some of these issues
attempts to attract the romantic interest of newcomers?
may have their roots in the history of A.A., while some
How can we get out from under those oldtimers who
arise out of current culture and technology.
insist they know what’s best for the group? And how can
One question that has been asked frequently over
we get more of the oldtimers to share their experience in
time — and that has resulted in a very thick correspon-
resolving group dilemmas?”
dence folder of “shared experience” — is the difference
“Almost every group problem can be solved through
between “open” and “closed” A.A. meetings. Some A.A.
the process of an informed group conscience, A.A. prin-
members have shared their belief that an open A.A.
ciples, and our Twelve Traditions. Some groups find that
meeting means that anyone who shows up can speak
their G.S.R. or D.C.M. can be helpful. For all involved, a
about anything that comes to mind, including problems
good sense of humor, cooling-off periods, patience, cour-
with drugs and other addictions, while closed meetings
tesy, willingness to listen and to wait — plus a sense of
are about recovery from alcoholism. When asked to
10 Box 4-5-9, Winter 2021
F-36_Box_4-5-9_Winter_2021.indd 10 12/8/21 1:23 PMrespond, G.S.O. staff members will guide correspondents a person’s sharing, the use of crosstalk or profanity at
to the section of “The A.A. Group” pamphlet on page 13 meetings, members talking excessively about drug use,
that reads, “Closed meetings are for A.A. members only, or other issues that people can find upsetting.
or for those who have a drinking problem and ‘have a Yet, somehow A.A. has been able to transcend these
desire to stop drinking.’ Open meetings are available to kinds of difficulties over the years, with the recognition
anyone interested in Alcoholics Anonymous’ program that “We alcoholics see that we must work together and
of recovery from alcoholism. Nonalcoholics may attend hang together, else most of us will finally die alone,” as
open meetings as observers. Bill W. notes in the introduction to the long form of the
“At both types of meetings, the A.A. chairperson may Traditions in the Big Book. We need each other, as the
request that participants confine their discussion to mat- saying goes, “warts and all,” and A.A. unity ultimately
ters pertaining to recovery from alcoholism. Whether open trumps the many peccadilloes that individual members
or closed, A.A. group meetings are conducted by A.A. may bring to meetings.
members who determine the format of their meetings.” It’s not a new problem, by any means, as Bill W.
Another question often asked is, What is the differ- described the state of things within A.A. meetings circa
ence between a meeting and a group? The pamphlet 1946 with this description: “Moochers mooched, lone-
notes on page 13, “The main difference between meet- ly hearts pined, committees quarreled, new clubs had
ings and groups is that A.A. groups generally continue unheard-of headaches, orators held forth, groups split
to exist outside the prescribed meeting hours, ready to wide open, members turned professional, sometimes
provide Twelfth Step help when needed.” Or, as it has whole groups got drunk, and local public relations went
sometimes been paraphrased, “What goes on between haywire.” Alcoholics, it seems, can test the patience of
the reading of the Preamble at the beginning and the just about anybody.
prayer at the end is the meeting. What goes on outside of So, can group problems really be healthy and desir-
that time is the group.” able?
“I realize,” says James, “that I can’t compel people
Love and Tolerance to pay attention or to legislate against texting in meet-
Returning to the idea that one way to resolve group ings. But I can keep the focus on why I’m at the meeting
problems is “a good sense of humor, cooling-off peri- myself in the first place. Trying to control people’s behav-
ods, patience, courtesy, willingness to listen and to wait ior has never worked well in A.A. and I don’t need to be a
— plus a sense of fairness and trust in a ‘Power greater meeting monitor. I just need a little love and tolerance. As
than ourselves,’” James S., a Manhattan A.A. member it says in Tradition Nine, ‘Great suffering and great love
with over 30 years of sobriety, shares the following expe- are our only disciplinarians; we need no others.’”
rience with recent meetings online:
“I was at my home group last week,” he says. “We’ve
been meeting online throughout the pandemic, but
n Seventh Tradition Corner
things have slowly started going downhill. I guess people For decades, all correspondence to G.S.O., including our
are getting tired of having all of their meetings online — contributions, have been sent to Box 459, Grand Central
I know I am — and I looked around the screen at all the Station, New York, NY 10163. Over the years, Box 459
little boxes. One guy was seated in front of his computer became such an integral part of A.A. that we named this
lifting hand weights. Two people were apparently texting newsletter after it.
each other and laughing about something totally unre- Now, your office and board are excited to announce
lated during the speaker’s talk. A selection of cats moved that we are embracing a new method of processing our
back and forth, in and out of people’s laps. A dog — Seventh Tradition contributions that will reduce costs,
thankfully muted — jumped at the screen, barking to be
ultimately allowing for more investment in services
let outside. A woman was sitting in her pajamas, listen-
to members and groups. To this end, we are excited to
ing on earphones. And many, if not most of the screens
announce that a separate post office box has been estab-
were blank, showing a name only, leading me to wonder
lished for Seventh Tradition contributions only. This
if they were actually there at all.
change will enable us to process contributions much more
“I was starting to feel that righteous indignation
building inside of me that is almost always the precursor efficiently and at a significant savings to the Fellowship.
to a furious, power-driven diatribe, either real or taking Effective immediately, please send contribution checks to:
place only in my mind, until I remembered the line from Post Office Box 2407
the Big Book (the chapter ‘Into Action’): ‘Love and toler- James A Farley Station
ance of others is our code.’” New York, NY 10116-2407
These challenging moments and others are played out
For more information, please contact our
in groups across the U.S. and Canada on a nightly basis, Member Services team at memberservices@aa.org
both in-person and online. Sometimes the concerns are or 212-870-3023.
more substantive and relate to the length or content of
Box 4-5-9, Winter 2021 11
F-36_Box_4-5-9_Winter_2021.indd 11 12/8/21 1:23 PMYou can also read
